Reviewed: Blu-ray setup discs for your HDTV

If you've never adjusted the settings on your TV, it's a good bet it's not performing as well as it could. While it's possible to get the picture settings close just by using your eye, the better option is a Blu-ray setup disc.

Beginner to expert, there's one for every skill level. All will get your TV performing much better than before.

A screenshot from one of the tutorials on the Disney WOW disc. Here it's explaining interlaced and progressive exceedingly well.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Content: Disney

This is one of the Disney WOW disc's patterns to help you set contrast. There's a similarly designed pattern to set brightness.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Pattern: Disney

Disney
The good: Excellent tutorials teach the basics better than any other disc. More than that, it teaches more advanced subjects like deinterlacing, 24p, and more. Test patterns are good, if not extensive.

The bad: The other discs here have more patterns, but the ones on the Disney disc are well-designed and offer all the basics and then some.

The bottom line: Disney's WOWis a fantastic disc that should be the go-to choice for all beginners looking to learn about their TV, and how to set it up.

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics

For: Advanced Beginner - Intermediate

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics is the latest disc from TV sage Joe Kane. You'll find detailed and extensive test patterns that not only help you set up your TV, but aid a trained calibrator (more on this later) in getting every last pixel of performance from your TV.

The main menu of DVE: HD Basics. Not as intuitive as Disney's menu, but better than previous generations of DVE.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Pattern: JKP

Here you can see DVE's most user-friendly feature: the menu overlays over the pattern so you can quickly navigate to another pattern. The pattern in the background here tests for per-pixel resolution.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Pattern: JKP

Spears & Munsil High-Definition Benchmark

For: Intermediate - Expert

Note! This has been replaced by the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark 2nd Edition, which we've reviewed.

Stacey Spears and Don Munsil created the ultimate disc for TV reviewers, and were nice enough to share it with everyone. In addition to clever and exacting test patterns, there's a whole suite of deinterlacing and scaling tests that are second to none.

The simple main menu of the Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Pattern: Spears and Munsil

A pattern to set contrast on the Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark. Note the fine gradations between steps, allowing for precise adjustment.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Pattern: Spears and Munsil

This is an HD video of a sailing ship. The test here is in the rigging. The better the video processor, the more the ropes will be diagonal lines without jaggies.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Test Clip: Spears and Munsil

This is the infamous rotating bar pattern that tests video processing, as seen on the Spears and Munsil High-Definition Benchmark. Ideally, the bar is smooth throughout its entire rotation. Most TVs or Blu-ray players will create small jagged edges (jaggies) as the bar nears horizontal.
Screenshot: Geoffrey Morrison - Pattern: Spears and Munsil

THX Optimizer (found on THX-certified DVDs and Blu-rays)

The THX Optimizer has been found on DVDs for ages, and recently on Blu-rays as well. A handful of patterns will get you through the basics of setup quickly.

The good: Free(ish)

The bad: Only the most basic patterns.

The bottom line: If you already have, or are going to buy, a THX Certified disc, the THX Optimizer has the basic patterns to get your TV set at least better than stock. The other discs here offer more extensive (and in some cases, better) patterns. If you're just looking to make sure your TV isn't horribly mis-set, the Optimizer will likely do what you need. If you're looking to get all you can out of your display, one of the other discs here will get you closer to that goal.

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Using a DVD instead of a Blu-ray

Many setup discs came out during the DVD era, like Avia, the Monster/ISF Calibration Wizard, and so on. Many of these are still available. If you have one of these discs, there really isn't any reason not to use them. As far as basic setup goes, using a DVD should be fine, especially when played through a Blu-ray player. If your TV has different picture memories for different resolutions (or inputs), you'll need to be careful to make sure the settings you choose when using your setup disc apply to the other inputs/resolutions. This is true for any setup disc. Each source will likely need slightly different settings, but they should be close.

Full calibration

To get the ultimate in performance out of your TV, you'll want to check out getting it calibrated by a professional. A trained calibrator (from the Imaging Science Foundation, for example) can calibrate your TV's color temperature, make sure every setting and connection is correct, and ensure that your TV is performing the best it can.